A newly-released arrest warrant affidavit provides a more clear timeline of the alleged murder of a Fort Worth businesswoman in an upscale neighborhood.
It also details the suspect’s confession to the murder, which he had denied making.
Nikki Blahitka, the owner of a major roofing company, was killed Dec. 29. Her housekeeper and her son found her dead in her bedroom the following morning.
Blahitka’s boyfriend, Joshua Henry, was arrested for the murder. He told News 8 in a jailhouse interview Tuesday that he did not kill the 49-year-old woman, though police said he had confessed to his involvement in the murder.
But an affidavit released Wednesday states that Henry wept as he admitted to shooting Blahitka in the head and shoulder with a .40 caliber Glock.
Blahitka’s ex-husband told police that the couple divorced because of Blahitka’s affair with the 29-year-old Henry, the affidavit reads. Mark Blahitka said his ex-wife had “an on/off relationship” with Henry “which he described to be volatile.”
Henry spent the afternoon and evening of Dec. 29 with Nikki Blahitka before returning to her home in the upscale River Hills neighborhood.
When first questioned by police, Henry said he walked home after an argument with Blahitka. He claimed he lost his clothes and a .45 caliber Glock -- inconsistent with the apparent murder weapon -- on his walk home.
During a second voluntary interview, though, Henry told police Blahitka had grabbed a .40 caliber Glock from her bedroom during the argument on Dec. 29. He “claimed he removed the firearm from Nicole and shot her twice.”
Henry then admitted to “disposing of his clothes in the woods” and throwing the gun in a river. He also said he threw his two cellphones in a pond near Blahitka’s house.
Wednesday, members of the Fort Worth Fire Department’s dive team were searching a body of water close to Blahitka’s home for the items mentioned in the affidavit.
A fire official told News 8, however, that they were unable to find any of the evidence they were looking for, adding that if they had been in the water, they would’ve found them, based on the shallowness of the water. The official said they would only return to search the water at the police department’s discretion.
A security log from Blahitka’s home, which records the opening and closing of every exterior door of the house, was also obtained as evidence in the case.
According to the warrant, Nikki Blahitka’s vehicle was seen arriving at the home just before 10 p.m. A man, believed to be Henry, exits the home and re-enters shortly thereafter.
“At approximately 10:49 p.m., the security cameras and partial electricity is disabled in the residence, but the exterior door security log continues to be recorded,” the affidavit states.
The final activity at the home the night of the murder was through the mudroom door at 11:09 p.m., according to the affidavit. Henry told police he left the home through the mudroom door between 10:30 p.m. and midnight.
“The details provided by Joshua Henry are consistent with the evidence in this investigation,” the affidavit states.
Henry was being held at the Mansfield Jail on $250,000 bond.
Joshua Henry arrest warrant affidavit by wfaachannel8 on Scribd